Pasta Carbonara (2024)

FAQs

What is the golden rule of cooking a carbonara? ›

The golden rule to silky carbonara is to whisk your egg whites so that they're completely incorporated with the egg yolks. This will create a smooth, velvety sauce. As like any pasta dish, including carbonara, cook the pasta perfectly al dente so that it's soft but still firm, with some bite.

Classic Italian carbonara sauce is typically made with just 4 ingredients: eggs, black pepper, pecorino Romano (or parmesan), and guanciale (or pancetta). Of course, you can play around with the ingredients to your liking (we added cream and garlic to this one and often use bacon or ham instead of pancetta!)

Carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork), eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, spaghetti pasta, and lots of black pepper. Italians don't add extra ingredients like cream, milk, garlic, or onions. Try this recipe if you want to make an authentic, creamy carbonara that comes straight from Italy, where I live.

What cheese should I use in carbonara? Pecorino Romano, a sharp sheep's milk cheese, can lean salty, especially when combined with cured pork in carbonara, but a 50:50 ratio of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano hit the ideal mark, balancing sharp, salty, and nutty flavors.

What not to put in Spaghetti Carbonara? Don't put garlic, cream, milk or butter. It is not needed. It is fine if you want to make a dish with those ingredients, but if you want to learn how to make this dish correctly, use only pecorino, eggs/egg yolks, black pepper, guanciale, and pasta water.

Should carbonara have cream? Typically carbonara sauce is only made of eggs, bacon, parmesan, olive oil, seasoning, and sometimes, vegetables. As for cream, Italians will tell you that is a big no no.

A sauce of mostly yolks has a richer, silkier, tighter texture than one made with only whole eggs. A mixture of Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano delivers that essential Roman flavor without making the pasta taste excessively salty or sharp.

Once you have crisped up the pancetta remove from the heat and allow the pan to cool. When you add the spaghetti return the pan to the heat util it starts to sizzle, at this point add your egg and parmesan mixture and continually stir. If it's too thick add some of the pasta water.

Dirty Carbonara differs from traditional Carbonara in that it often includes heavy cream in addition to the classic ingredients of eggs, cheese, and pork. This addition of heavy cream is what gives it the “dirty” designation.

Modern spaghetti carbonara is a twist on the classic and while it is a little different from the original, the most important rule remains, IT IS MADE WITH EGGS AND ABSOLUTELY NO CREAM!

Can I use parmigiano reggiano instead of pecorino in carbonara? ›

Many traditional carbonara recipes call for Pecorino Romano cheese, but Parmigiano Reggiano is also often used, as well as a combination of the two. The origin of the dish is a source of much debate, and you can read a little about the various origin stories in an article our blog.

My Parmesan cheese clumped up so I would recommend using mozzarella instead and topping/sprinkling with Parmesan instead. I give credit for how easy this is - and it makes a lot, so will feed a family! But flavor was only so-so good for me. I'm glad I tried!

Carbonara is almost always served with spaghetti or linguine, but you can use whatever pasta you prefer. For a more unusual take on carbonara, try spinach fettuccine tossed with warm pasta and fresh baby spinach; you'll get a vibrant, beautiful dish with some additional health benefits.

Carbonara is traditionally made with guanciale, or cured pork jowl, though pancetta is often substituted, and both are fatty, salty and deeply savoury.

Similarly, make sure to use pecorino. It is best to use egg yolk for carbonara because it has got more fat content and emulsifies better. You need to sweat the guanciale on a low heat in a pan until nice and crispy but not burnt. You can't put it in a hot pan straight away or it will burn!

This might be the most important step in making carbonara. Before adding the eggs and cheese to the pasta, you MUST turn off the heat. If you don't, you could overcook your sauce and turn it into scrambled eggs. The residual heat from the hot noodles and pasta water will cook the egg yolks without scrambling them.

Carbonara traditionally uses both whole eggs and egg yolks. The whole eggs provide richness and structure to the sauce, while the egg yolks add creaminess and flavor. To make an authentic carbonara, start by cooking guanciale or pancetta (Italian cured meats) until crispy, then add cooked pasta to the pan.